AGH Atari 2600 Review: RIVER RAID by Activision Before 1982 rolled around, almost every shooting game on the VCS was confined in one screen. Activision's River Raid changed all that. Created by Carol Shaw, the first female home game designer, its was also the first vertically scrolling game ever. You play as a jet that has to fly up the "River of No Return," shooting at just about everything in your way. The objects, which include jets, helicopters and boats, try to stop you by crashing into you. You have to stay in the river, or you'll collide with the sides. As your plane flies up, you consume fuel. You can go faster or slower, but the fuel consumption stays the same. To refuel, you need to fly over red and white striped barrels that say FUEL (you may want to slow down over these, to get the maximum fuel). Each level, or part of the river, is divided by bridges. Shoot the bridges and you can continue. You also start from the last bridge you blew up when you die, even if you haven't crossed it yet. With crisp and colorful graphics and great gameplay, Shaw has created a winner. It does get tougher as you progress, especially since fuel becomes less plentiful and the fact that you have to do some fancy acrobatics to avoid hitting the ground. This shooter soars high in my book. Title River Raid Publisher Activision System Atari 2600 (VCS) Graphics 7 Sound 8 Gameplay 8 Overall 8 Reviewer Adam King